Contemporary Bluetooth Threats

Bluetooth-enabled devices are all around us these days, and we don't seem to be paying much attention to the fact that these gizmos are subject to attack, just like our invaluable WiFi tools. Bruce Potter points out some of the major vulnerabilities that you should get into your head, before an attacker gets into your gadget.

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You May Be Bluer Than You Think

Whether you know it or not, Bluetooth is everywhere. A protocol intended to
replace many types of data cables, Bluetooth is currently in wider deployment
than WiFi; more than 2 million Bluetooth radios are integrated into devices
each week. Bluetooth can be found in phones, cars, printers, laptops, and even
some home automation equipment. Many people own Bluetooth-enabled devices and
don’t even know it. Even with this huge user base, though, Bluetooth
security is still a relatively unknown topic.

Over the last few years, the mass media has latched onto WiFi and its security
problems. Most of the computing public knows that WEP, the protocol used to
secure the early versions of WiFi, is weak and generally unfit for use in any
situation requiring real security. Users are at least passingly familiar with
safe WiFi computing practices, and more and more tools and programs work to
secure systems on WiFi networks.

On the flip side, users may not even be aware that Bluetooth and WiFi are
different technologies. Recently I gave a talk on Bluetooth security. At the
end of the presentation, an audience member asked how to configure his WiFi
card to do "this Bluetooth thing." Fortunately, most attackers are
just as in the dark as such users; few tools are out there to make Bluetooth-based
hacking as easy as WiFi hacking. That won’t be the case forever, though.
To properly secure yourself and your systems, you need to understand how Bluetooth
works and the current threats against your Bluetooth-enabled devices.